By Tracy Ross | Colorado Sun
Three ranches near where wolves were released in January say Colorado Parks and Wildlife is not keeping its promise to let them know when the collared animals are near
Ranchers are calling multiple wolf attacks on cattle over Memorial Day weekend in Pitkin County “devastating” and evidence Colorado Parks and Wildlife is failing to keep its promise to alert ranchers when wolves are in range of their livestock.
The attacks occurred over three days on the Crystal River Ranch, in the Crystal River Valley, and on the Lost Marbles and McCabe ranches, in the Roaring Fork Valley.
The first happened early Friday morning on the Crystal River Ranch, according to Tom Harrington, manager of the ranch and president of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association.
Wolves killed a second calf on the McCabe Ranch Saturday.
And on Sunday, wolves separated a cow and a calf from a herd on the Lost Marbles Ranch and severely injured the calf.
A press release from the cattlemen’s association identified the wolf that killed Harrington’s calf, as well as two other wolves that killed and attacked the other livestock, as members of Colorado’s first established pack following the first release of reintroduction in late 2023, the Copper Creek pack, which killed numerous sheep and cattle on two ranches in Grand County last spring.
The deaths over Memorial Day weekend had not been added to CPW’s running list of confirmed depredations Tuesday evening.
CPW has said it will alert ranchers to wolves in their area, as part of its stated goal to be more transparent during the state’s wolf reintroduction program, which is predicted to last three to five years, until a sustainable wolf population is established.
But Harrington said he was first alerted to a wolf in his area not by CPW but by his friend and neighbor, who is also a Colorado Department of Agriculture brand inspector.
The inspector told him a range rider employed by CPW had been dispatched to the Crystal River Ranch BLM allotment where Harrington periodically grazes his cattle, “without any knowledge, any contacts, or any mapping” just instruction to, he said, “go ride this permit. There’s a wolf on that side of the valley.”
But when Harrington saw the map of the area the range rider was sent to patrol, it revealed he was on the wrong land, he said. Harrington called Max Morton, who directs the agency’s hired range riders. The map Morton shared showed a wolf ranging on Crystal River Ranch private property adjacent to the BLM allotment, where Harrington was grazing 200 cow-calf pairs (he has since moved them).